1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacturing of products produced using rotary kilns and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for utilizing rubber as fuel in a rotary kiln system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vulcanized rubber waste such as industrial rubber and, in particular, tires present a disposal problem. Although considerable effort has been expended on a variety of approaches, scrap tire disposal procedures still present considerable logistic problems. Generally, many scrap tires have been disposed in landfill operations. These operations tend to create unstable landfills. No further use is made of the tire material. The tires are not biologically degradable.
Finely ground scrap rubber can be utilized in rubber reclaim processes. However, such processes are generally expensive in order to obtain the desired size of scrap rubber. Chemical procedures have also been proposed to utilize the raw material in vulcanized tires. However, to date, this has found limited acceptance.
It has also been proposed in the art to dispose of rubber base products such as industrial rubber waste and scrap tire and utilize their inherent heat value. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,680 teaches a process for burning used whole tires on a bed of particles of incombustible matter. The heat generated from the burning of the tires may be supplied to a boiler or used for other purposes.